Web based communication of information with reconfigurable format

• US 20090106251A1
• Filed: 10/24/2001
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Harris Technology LLC
• Original Assignee: Harris Technology LLC
• Inventors: Harris, Scott C.
• Application Number:
  US09/682,853
• Publication Number:
  US 20090106251A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30

Abstract

22Attorney Docket No. DY-Internet/SCHA system of using an interactive device such as an e-mail pager to obtain information from a publicly available source, such as the Internet. The e-mail pager may send information in its native format to a service that acts as an intermediary. That service takes the information and uses it to assemble a request to the actual information source, such as a Web page being accessed. If a web page is being accessed, the request is in HTML, and may include personal logon information. The response from the web page is also in HTML, and this information is received by the service, and salient information is taken from the HTML file. The information is reformatted, e.g. according to a template, into the e-mail pager”s native format, and sent to the pager. Another embodiment describes opening multiple pages, and assembling their content into a single web page.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

sending a request for information from an interactive device to a first server, where said interactive device sends information in a format that cannot access said first server;

at said first server, using information from said request to query sources of information, including a second source of information contained within a second Internet based webpage, and a third source of information within a third Internet based webpage;

receiving results from querying said sources of information, where said results are in a form that cannot be viewed on said interactive device;

using variable information from said results without using formatting information, to form raw information;

storing at least one template, where the template includes a form that includes non variable textual information that stays constant every time said template is used, and open portions for said variable information that changes based on said results received from said source of information, where said non variable information contains a textual description associated with said variable information, and wherein said template includes an arrangement that arranges said non variable information and said variable information;

using said raw information to fill in said open portions on said template; and

displaying said template, with said information filled therein, on said interactive device.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein said interactive device is a device that only displays text, and using variable portions comprises changing said information from an HTML format into a text format for display.

2. A method, comprising:

sending a request for information from an interactive device to a first server, and receiving results from said sending;

wherein said sending comprises sending one of multiple different kinds of requests to said first server, each different kind of request operative to request a different type of information, where a first request is a request for information from a first website and a second request is a request for different information from a second website different than said first website;

using variable information from said results without using formatting information, to form raw information;

storing at least one template, where the template includes a form that includes non variable textual information that stays constant every time said template is used, and open portions for said variable information that changes based on said results received from said source of information, where said non variable information contains a textual description associated with said variable information, and wherein said template includes an arrangement that arranges said non variable information and said variable information;

using said raw information to fill in said open portions on said template;

said storing stores multiple different templates, and said using comprises selecting one of said templates that corresponds to one of said kinds of requests, including a first template for said first website, and a second different template for said second website, and using said one of said templates for displaying said results; and

displaying said template, with said information filled therein, on said interactive device.

5. A method as in claim 2, further comprising sending a request from said first server to said interactive device, requesting said interactive device to identify more information about a specific query to be made to said request to query a publicly accessible source of information, wherein said interactive device also stores personal information associated with a user of the interactive device, and wherein said sending comprises sending a request for information which includes some of said personal information.

6. A method as in claim 5, wherein said personal information which is sent includes logon information and a password.

7. A method as in claim 2, wherein said kind of information is an indication to purchase a product, and said template is a template to obtain variables to allow purchase of the product.

8. A method as in claim 2, wherein said kind of information is a user'"'"'s bank balance, and said template is a template to allow entry of variables from raw information to fill in bank balance information.

4. (canceled)

9. A method, comprising:

receiving a request for information from a handheld interactive device on a first server;

on said first server, using information from said request to request first information from a first Internet website, based on both said request for information, and also based on prestored personal information that is specific to a user, and wherein both said request for information and said prestored personal information are required to obtain information from said first Internet website;

on said first server, using information from said request to request second information from a second Internet website;

receiving results from said requests to said first Internet website;

identifying first portions within said results representing variable information from the first Internet website, said variable information representing a desired parameter requested by said request for information and that changes based on said results received from said information from said first Internet website;

using said variable information to form a formatted display on said interactive device, where said formatted display is a different format than the format included within said results from said first Internet website, and where said formatted display includes only the variable portions from

the information received from said first Internet website, but does not include portions of the information received from said first internet website that are always constant,

wherein said using to form a formatted display comprises filling the variable information into a template, wherein said sending comprises sending one of multiple different kinds of requests to said first server, further comprising storing multiple different templates, and said using comprises selecting one of said templates that corresponds to one of said kinds of requests, and using said one of said templates based on said kind of request, so that a first request to a first website uses a first template, and a second request to a second website uses a second template different than said first template.

10. A method as in claim 9, wherein said using to form a formatted display comprises reformatting said information into an XML form.

13. A method as in claim 9, wherein said using to form a formatted display comprises changing said HTML response from said Internet website into another format, wherein said HTML response is in a form that cannot be viewed on said interactive handheld device, and using only a portion of said another format, where said another format is a format that can be viewed on said interactive device.

14. A method as in claim 13, wherein said another format is a text format.

16. A method as in claim 9, further comprising automatically reporting changes to at least one of the websites at specified increments.

11. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

17. A method, comprising:

receiving a request from a first client for information from an Internet website, which Internet website provides information when the request to the Internet website is in a specified form and includes specified information;

converting the request from the first client into the specified form;

using the request in the specified form to open plural internet pages, and obtain results from said opening of said plural internet pages; and

identifying first portions within said results representing variable information from the Internet website, said variable information representing a desired parameter requested by said request for information;

using said variable information to form formatted display information for said interactive device, where said formatted display is a different format than the Internet website format included within said results from said Internet website, and where said formatted display information, includes only the variable portions from the results received from said Internet website, but does not include other portions of the information received from opening said internet pages; and

sending the formatted display information to the first client.

18. A method as in claim 17, further comprising storing personal logon information, and said specified form required by said Internet website includes said logon information including at least a user login name and a password, wherein said sending comprises sending the information including the logon information.

19. A method as in claim 17, wherein said receiving comprises one of multiple different kinds of requests, each different kind of request operative to request a different type of information, further comprising storing multiple different templates, and said using to form a formatted display comprises selecting one of said templates that corresponds to one of said kinds of requests, and using said one of said stored templates based on said kind of request, so that a first request uses a first template, and a second request uses a second template different than said first template.

20. A method as in claim 17, further comprising sending a request to said first client for more detail about said request.

21. A method, comprising:

sending a text message, from an e-mail pager, to a specified address, said text message including text content indicating an action that the user wants to carry out on the Internet;

translating said text message into an HTML request indicative of an operation to be carried out on the Internet, said translating comprising converting the text information into an HTML request that represents the text information;

based on said HTML request, receiving results from an Internet website in an Internet website format;

identifying first portions within said results representing variable information from the Internet website, said variable information representing a desired parameter requested by said text message;

using said variable information to form formatted display information;

sending said results in a text form to said e-mail pager, where said text form is a different format than the Internet website format included within said results from said Internet website, and where said text form includes only the variable portions from the results received from said Internet website, but does not include other portions of the information received from said internet website.

23. A method as in claim 21, further comprising second sending a text message back to said email pager, wherein said second sending is a request for confirmation of contents of said action.

22. (canceled)